A Brazilian Christmas Weekend

We thought that spending Christmas at home in Brazil would mean quiet times for the holiday.  We may not have had any schedules to keep, but that didn't stop us from having a fun weekend, full of holiday cheer....Brazilian style!

Saturday evening, we put on our darling dresses to head out to Vigil Mass.  Needless to say, capturing a picture of BOTH of us sitting pretty is still a challenge.

One of us (ahem) cooperates better than the other!

That night, it was lights out early, as our Santa Tracker said he was on his way!  On Christmas morning, we awoke to quite the pile of loot!

My Elf must have delivered all my wishes for a Barbie computer right to Santa himself!

Isla will also have the chance to practice her techno-savvy.

It wasn't long before we tested out our new sets of wheels

Later in the afternoon, we took to the pool with Daddy-O (aka Santa wanna-be ;)

....and wrapped up the day by making some very festive cupcakes.

It was such a wonderful Christmas, with much to be thankful for.  We hope you also had a very Merry Christmas!

~ Avery

Prepping for the Claus man

Since this is the first year we'll be spending Christmas at home in Brazil, we've been kicking our Big Day preparations into high gear.  We're extra-excited because Mims is here to spend the holidays with us, and she's a big fan of Christmas.

First, we decked our halls with a tree that already has many presents underneath!

We dressed up in our little festive outfits so our Christmas card picture would look nice....

...that's still a work in progress...

More importantly, Santa paid a pre-visit down to Brasilia to listen to gift wishlists.  This was the first year I felt confident about telling The Head Honcho ear-to-ear what I'm hoping will appear under the tree Christmas morn, but Isla needed a little moral support.

I went first, to show her how the pros do it.

...but, I think we still have some work to do for next year.

 

~ Avery

Walk like a Bra-zil-ian

I think I can handle my own in Mommy's Big Girl shoes!

Trick or Treat 2011

We started Halloween festivities early last Friday with the annual Trick or Treating at the Embassy.  I was Rapunzel, and Isla was a Pumpkin Fairy.

Even our soon-to-be baby sister had a "costume!"

 This weekend, we just chilled out, and thought about all the candy we'd be seeing!

 Then, I helped Mommy make some "monstrously-good" cupcakes.

 Of course, I got to test them out - DEElish!

For actual Halloween, some families got together to have a "Trunk or Treat" party - everyone brought yummy food, and then we trick or treated from car to car.  Some people went all-out on their trunk decorations!

 

Despite this look, I was thrilled to be there, and had a great time!  

 

Can't wait to do it again next year! 

~Avery

18 month-old Girl

Today, I am a year and a half old! That "1/2" makes a big difference, you know!

Avery and I posed together to capture the day...for a few minutes...

...but, our camera timing was a tad off...

Besides, I have other things in mind!

Newest Member of the Family

No, it's not a baby (not yet, at least) - it's a bird!
Here's the story: Last week when Daddy went for a run, he came across a wounded little bird on the sidewalk, and brought it home. I immediately fell in love with it, and Daddy said we could buy a cage, and nurse it back to health.
The next day when I was at school, Mommy and Daddy did get a cage, but when we arrived home, we discovered the bird had, "flown away to Heaven."
I was devastated.
Daddy and Mommy decided I could pick out another bird, since we already had a cage and all, so long as I promised to take great care of it.

After a long visit with the bird store owner, we decided on a sweet little cockatiel. We're not sure if he's a boy or girl, but since Daddy is already so outnumbered by girls, we decided the little bird is a boy to try to even things out - we named him Miles.

He's very calm and gentle, and doesn't even get too nervous when Isla squeals in delight at the sight of him.

My first pet, and I love him!

~Avery

Playtime with Daddy-O

We give Daddy a run for his money when it comes to playtime.
We like to be thrown in the air...

Swung round and round...

(the question is, Will he be able to do this when there's three of us?!)

Tickling 'til we can hardly breathe!

Isla has such a great time, she becomes really pouty when it's time to take a break.

But, I try to make her happy again by chasing her around.

There. Smiles all around!

~Avery

Window Light...

...is so good.